Image forming apparatus management system, image forming apparatus, managing apparatus, terminal apparatus, image forming apparatus managing method, and image forming program

ABSTRACT

A disclosed managing apparatus and image forming apparatus management system ensure confidentiality of information in an image forming apparatus while usability is maintained. An image forming apparatus acquires IC card identifying information with an IC card reader. A management server acquires a user ID associated with the acquired IC card identifying information and use limit information concerning use of the image forming apparatus. A process is performed in the image forming apparatus in accordance with the use limit information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/916,449, filed Jun. 30, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 16/031,532, filed Jul. 10, 2018 (now U.S. Pat. No.10,827,095), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/360,581, filed Nov. 23, 2016, (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,038,822), whichis a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/189,567, filed Feb.25, 2014 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,519,444), which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 12/029,120, filed Feb. 11, 2008 (now U.S. Pat. No.8,714,451), which is based on the Japanese Priority Application No.2007-077763 filed Mar. 23, 2007, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to systems for managing processes in animage forming apparatus, such as a multifunction peripheral (MFP). Italso relates to image forming apparatus, managing apparatus, terminalapparatus, methods of managing image forming apparatus, and imageforming programs.

2. Description of the Related Art

It has become common in corporations and other organizations to connectan image forming apparatus (including an MFP having the functions of aFAX machine, a scanner, a copier, etc.) to multiple computer terminalsvia a network so that the image forming apparatus can be shared. In suchan environment, it is necessary to maintain the confidentiality of imagedata handled over the network. Further, since the image formingapparatus is shared by multiple users, there is a need to improve theefficiency of its use.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2004-222141 discloses aninvention directed to a network scanner apparatus comprising an addressinformation storage unit in which address information is set orregistered, the address information being associated with individualaddresses to which data is distributed via a network. The addressinformation comprises at least a user name, a password, distributioninformation, and information about other addresses that a user at aparticular address can access. User authentication is performed based ona pair of a user name and a password stored in the address informationstorage unit, and access is granted only to a successfully authenticateduser.

However, in this technology, when the image data of a scanned manuscriptis transferred to a terminal at a particular address, the image datacould be viewed by unintended persons if the terminal is shared byplural users.

Furthermore, in the technology of the aforementioned publication, use ofthe network scanner device is allowed to any user who has beenauthenticated. If such technology is applied to the latest image formingapparatus having the functions of a FAX machine, a copier, and so on aswell as a scanner, the image forming apparatus could potentially be usedfor unintended purposes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to overcomethe aforementioned problems of the related art.

A more specific object is to provide a managing apparatus which makes itpossible to keep information secret in an image forming apparatus and animage forming apparatus management system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention provides an image forming apparatusmanagement system in which an image forming apparatus configured to readuser identifying information from an information recording medium isconnected to a managing apparatus for managing use of the image formingapparatus via a network. The image forming apparatus comprises aninformation reading unit configured to read the user identifyinginformation recorded in a predetermined region of the informationrecording medium; a region setting unit configured to set thepredetermined region from which the user identifying information is readby the information reading unit; and an information format conversionunit configured to convert the user identifying information read by theinformation reading unit into a predetermined format. The managingapparatus comprises a user information storage unit in which the useridentifying information that has been converted into the predeterminedformat and use limit information concerning use of the image formingapparatus that is associated with the user identifying information arestored; and a use limit information acquiring unit configured to acquirethe use limit information associated with the user identifyinginformation based on the user identifying information.

In another aspect, the invention provides an image forming apparatusmanaging method adapted to an image forming apparatus management systemin which an image forming apparatus configured to read user identifyinginformation from an information recording medium is connected to amanaging apparatus for managing the image forming apparatus via anetwork. The managing apparatus comprises a user information storagedevice in which the user identifying information and use limitinformation concerning use of the image forming apparatus that isassociated with the user identifying information are stored. The methodcomprises the steps of reading user identifying information recorded ina predetermined region of the information recording medium; setting thepredetermined region from which the user identifying information isread; converting the user identifying information that has been readinto a predetermined format; and acquiring the use limit informationassociated with the user identifying information based on the useridentifying information that has been converted into the predeterminedformat.

In another aspect, the invention provides a computer-readable imageforming program for an image forming apparatus connected to a managingapparatus for managing use of the image forming apparatus. The imageforming apparatus comprises a processing unit and a storage unit. Theimage forming program is configured to cause the processing unit tocarry out the steps of reading user identifying information recorded ina predetermined region of an information recording medium; setting thepredetermined region from which the user identifying information isread; and converting the user identifying information that has been readinto a predetermined format.

In accordance with the invention, the functions of an image formingapparatus is limited on an individual user basis, whereby userinformation can be managed in a secure manner and confidentiality ofsuch information can be maintained.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention willbe apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription of the invention, when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a system configuration of an image forming apparatusmanagement system according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram of an image forming apparatus inthe first embodiment;

FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of a management server in thefirst embodiment;

FIG. 4 shows a functional block diagram of a print server in the firstembodiment;

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of a user authenticating process in the imageforming apparatus management system;

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an operation of a “Personal Menu” process inthe image forming apparatus in the first embodiment;

FIG. 7A illustrates a status of the display/operating device uponselection of the “Personal Menu” process;

FIG. 7B illustrates another status of the display/operating device uponselection of the “Personal Menu” process;

FIG. 8 shows a system configuration of an image forming apparatusmanagement system according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 shows a functional configuration of a management server in thesecond embodiment;

FIG. 10 shows a functional configuration of an AD server in the secondembodiment;

FIG. 11 shows a functional configuration of a print server in the secondembodiment;

FIG. 12 shows a functional configuration of an image forming apparatusin the second embodiment;

FIG. 13 shows a functional configuration of a managing terminal in thesecond embodiment;

FIG. 14A shows a format of an IC card;

FIG. 14B shows various items of information stored in the IC card;

FIG. 15 shows an example of a setting screen for setting the type of aregion from which information is to be read;

FIG. 16 shows an example of a region setting information generatingscreen for generating region setting information concerning the IC card;

FIG. 17 shows a flowchart of an operation of a plugin in the imageforming apparatus;

FIG. 18 shows an example of a plugin selection screen;

FIG. 19 shows a flowchart of a login process in the second embodiment;

FIG. 20A shows an example of a display screen in the image formingapparatus of the second embodiment;

FIG. 20B shows an on-screen keyboard displayed on a display screen inthe image forming apparatus of the second embodiment;

FIG. 21 shows a flowchart of a user information registration/deletionprocess in the management server of the second embodiment;

FIG. 22 shows a system configuration of an image forming apparatusmanagement system according to a third embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 23 shows a configuration of an image forming apparatus, anoperating terminal, and an IC card reader;

FIG. 24 shows a system configuration of an image forming apparatusmanagement system according to a fourth embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 25 shows a configuration of a laser printer, a control terminal, asetting terminal, and an IC card reader;

FIGS. 26A through 26M show various patterns of light emitted by LEDs anddisplayed on a display unit 313, indicating various states of an imageforming apparatus management system;

FIG. 27A through 27D show various patterns of light emitted by LEDsindicating various states of a second print server in a case whereplural print servers are connected according to the fourth embodiment;

FIG. 28 shows a diagram for describing a recording medium in which aprogram for realizing various functions of the management serversaccording to the various embodiments is recorded; and

FIG. 29 shows a diagram for describing a recording medium in which aprogram for realizing the various functions of the image formingapparatus according to the various embodiments is recorded.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In accordance with a managing apparatus and an image forming apparatusmanagement system of the present invention, use limit informationrelating to use of an image forming apparatus and being associated withuser identifying information are acquired, and then a process isperformed in the image forming apparatus based on the use limitinformation.

Embodiment 1

In the following, a first embodiment of the present invention isdescribed with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a system configuration of an image forming apparatusmanagement system 10 according to the first embodiment of the presentinvention. The image forming apparatus management system 10 comprises amanagement server 11, an Active Directory server (“AD server” hereafter)13, a user terminal 15, a print server 16, and an image formingapparatus 17, which are connected via a network.

In the image forming apparatus management system 10, user identifyinginformation acquired by the image forming apparatus 17 is transmitted tothe management server 11. Based on the user identifying information, themanagement server 11 acquires use limit information associated with theuser concerning use of the image forming apparatus 17. The acquired uselimit information is then transmitted to the image forming apparatus 17.Based on the use limit information, use of the image forming apparatus17 by the user is controlled on an individual user basis.

The management server 11 is thus a managing apparatus configured tomanage user information and control use of the image forming apparatus17. The details of the management server 11 will be described later. TheAD server 13 retains user ID information for identifying each user ofthe image forming apparatus 17. The user ID information retained in theAD server 13 may be registered in advance by an administrator of theimage forming apparatus management system 10 or by each user using theuser terminal 15, for example.

In the management server 11, it can be selected whether or not a userauthenticating process for allowing use of the image forming apparatus17 should be performed based on the user ID information retained in theAD server 13, depending on the setting of the management server 11.

The user terminal 15 is used to select a document in the image formingapparatus 17 for printing and to enter a print instruction, for example.The user terminal 15 may comprise a computer having a CPU and a memory.A user can change various settings or conditions in the managementserver 11 using a browser in the user terminal 15. The print server 16temporarily retains a print job which is a print command transmittedfrom the user terminal 15 to be executed in the image forming apparatus17. The details of the print server 16 are described later.

The image forming apparatus 17 comprises an MFP (multifunctionperipheral) capable of providing the functions of a FAX machine, ascanner, a copier, and a printer, for example. The image formingapparatus 17 includes an IC card reader for acquiring IC cardidentifying information.

In the following, the details of the image forming apparatus 17, themanagement server 11, and the print server 16 are described withreference to FIGS. 2 through 4 .

FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus17 of the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 17 comprises acontrol unit 171, a display/operating device 172, a recording device173, an IC card reader 174, an information format converting unit 175, acommunications unit 176, an executed process history storing unit 177,an individual information storing unit 178, and a password generatingunit 179.

The control unit 171 is configured to execute or control processes forrealizing the aforementioned functions of a FAX machine, scanner,copier, and printer. The display/operating device 172 is used to operatethe image forming apparatus 17; it may comprise a numeric keypad or anoperating panel. Preferably, the display/operating device 172 includes adisplay unit for displaying to a user various states of the imageforming apparatus 17 or a list of processes performed by the imageforming apparatus 17, for example.

The recording device 173 stores setting values for the image formingapparatus 17 and image data or electronic documents read by the imageforming apparatus 17. The IC card reader 174 is configured to acquireunique IC card identifying information recorded in a user's IC card.While the IC card reader 174 of the present embodiment is of acontactless type capable of acquiring the IC card information withoutmaking contact with an IC card, it may be of a contact type whichacquires IC card information by making contact with an IC card. Further,while the IC card reader 174 of the present embodiment is part of theimage forming apparatus 17, the IC card reader 174 may be connectedoutside the image forming apparatus 17 by an appropriate connectionmethod.

The information format converting unit 175 is configured to convert theformat of the IC card identifying information acquired by the IC cardreader 174. The present embodiment employs a FeliCa (registeredtrademark of Sony Corporation, referring to a contactless IC chip cardsystem) card for the IC card, and so the IC card identifying informationacquired by the IC card reader 174 and used in processes executed in thepresent embodiment is in the FeliCa (registered trademark) format.

If the IC card used is not a FeliCa (registered trademark) card, its ICcard identifying information may be in a format different from theFeliCa (registered trademark) format. In such a case, the informationformat converting unit 175, which may be configured to implement aplugin, converts the format of the IC card identifying informationobtained from a non-FeliCa IC card to a FeliCa (registered trademark)card-compatible format.

The communications unit 176 is configured to perform communications withthe managing apparatus 11 and the user terminal 15. The executed processhistory storing unit 177 is configured to record a history of processesperformed in the image forming apparatus 17. The executed processhistory storing unit 177 may be provided within the recording device173. In the executed process history storing unit 177, historyinformation about processes performed in the image forming apparatus 17is associated with user identifying information and the type of process,for example, so that a search can be conducted to identify animplemented process based on the user identifying information or thetype of process. The result of such a search may be displayed to a uservia a display unit mounted on the display/operating device 172.

The executed process history storing unit 177 also stores otherinformation such as a history of execution of the print function; userIDs of users who have used the image forming apparatus 17; a designationof the image forming apparatus 17; the time when a process to beperformed was received and the time when a process was completed; andthe number of pages of an electronic document or image data processed inthe image forming apparatus 17.

The executed process history stored in the executed process historystoring unit 177 is periodically uploaded via the communications unit176 to the management server 11 where it is retained.

In the individual information storing unit 178, individual userinformation is stored. The individual information may include settinginformation associated with each user of the image forming apparatus 17;an address book; and image data or an electronic document that is to beor has been processed in the image forming apparatus 17. The individualinformation is associated with user identifying information and is readwhen a “Personal Menu” is selected on the image forming apparatus 17, aswill be described later. Upon selection of the “Personal Menu” on theimage forming apparatus 17 and following the reading of individualinformation, the control unit 171 executes a process in the imageforming apparatus 17 based on the individual information. The individualinformation storing unit 178 may be provided within the recording device173.

The password generating unit 179 is configured to generate a passwordbased on the user identifying information and in accordance with acertain algorithm. The password thus generated is stored in theindividual information storing unit 178.

In the image forming apparatus 17, an application for realizing each ofthe functions of the information format converting unit 175, executedprocess history storing unit 177, individual information storing unit178, and password generating unit 179 may be recorded in a recordingmedium that can be attached to and detached from the image formingapparatus 17. In this case, the image forming apparatus 17 is preferablyprovided with a recording medium reading unit for reading such arecording medium, so that the image forming apparatus 17 can read theapplication recorded in the recording medium and execute it to realizeeach of the aforementioned functions. The recording medium may be an SD(Secure Digital) memory card.

FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of the management server 11 ofthe present embodiment. The management server 11 comprises a userinformation storage device 120, a control unit 111, a use limitinformation acquiring unit 112, a display device 113, and acommunications unit 114.

In the user information storage device 120, user information includingIC card identifying information 121, user ID information 122, and uselimit information 123 is stored in advance. The IC card identifyinginformation 121 is acquired by the IC card reader 174. The user IDinformation 122 is associated with the IC card identifying information121; it is obtained by the control unit 111 based on the IC cardidentifying information 121. In the present embodiment, the useridentifying information refers to the pair of the IC card identifyinginformation 121 and the associated user ID information 122.

The use limit information 123 is associated with the user ID information122; it indicates one or more functions that a uses is allowed toutilize in the image forming apparatus 17 and setting conditions, forexample. Specifically, the use limit information indicates whichfunctions of the image forming apparatus 17, such as the scan function,the FAX function, a monochrome print function, and a color printfunction, a user is allowed to use. For example, in the image formingapparatus 17 of the present embodiment, a user A may be allowed to usethe scan function, FAX function, monochrome print function, and colorprint function, while a user B may be allowed to use only the scanfunction and the print function, based on the limiting information. Suchinformation stored in the user information storage device 120 may beregistered by the administrator of the image forming apparatusmanagement system 10 or a user in advance.

The control unit 111 controls processes performed in the managementserver 11. The use limit information acquiring unit 112 acquires the uselimit information 123 retained in the user information storage device120. The display device 113 displays information relating to variousstates of the image forming apparatus management system 10, such as thestatus of the management server 11 and the status of another deviceconnected to the management server 11. The display device 113 maycomprise a liquid crystal panel mounted on the management server 11, ora liquid crystal display connected outside the management server 11 byan appropriate technique. The communications unit 114 is configured toperform communications with the print server 16 and the image formingapparatus 17.

FIG. 4 shows a functional block diagram of the print server 16. Theprint server 16 comprises a print command retaining unit 161, a printcontrol unit 162, and a communications unit 163. The print commandretaining unit 161 is configured to temporarily retain a print job whichis a print command transmitted from the user terminal 15. In response toa print instruction entered by a user on the user terminal 15 or theimage forming apparatus 17, the print control unit 162 transmits a printjob retained in the print command retaining unit 161 to the imageforming apparatus 17, where the print job is executed. Thecommunications unit 163 is configured to perform communications with themanagement server 11 and the image forming apparatus 17.

In the print server 16 of the present embodiment, when plural imageforming apparatus are connected to the image forming apparatusmanagement system 10, one of the image forming apparatus to which theprint job is to be transmitted can be selected. For example, when one ofthe plural image forming apparatus is performing a separate process, theprint control unit 162 can avoid this image forming apparatus and selectanother image forming apparatus for performing the print job.

A maximum of four such print servers 16 can be connected to a singleimage forming apparatus. By connecting multiple print servers, moreprint jobs can be retained. Furthermore, as mentioned above, since theprint server of the present embodiment can select an image formingapparatus that is ready to swiftly perform a print job, a print job thatis retained can be swiftly performed without increasing the load appliedto the image forming apparatus. Further, in case one of multiple printservers should fail, another print server can be operated instead, whileallowing the print server that failed to be repaired, maintained, orchecked without bringing the entire image forming apparatus managementsystem to a halt.

With reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. 5 , a user authenticatingprocess in the image forming apparatus management system 10 isdescribed.

The image forming apparatus 17 acquires IC card identifying informationusing the IC card reader 174, and transmits the IC card identifyinginformation to the management server 11 via the communications unit 176.Upon reception of the IC card identifying information by thecommunications unit 114 in the management server 11, the control unit111 searches the user information storage device 120 based on thereceived IC card identifying information, and determines whethercorresponding IC card identifying information is retained in the IC cardidentifying information 121 (S51).

If the received IC card identifying information is found in the IC cardidentifying information 121, the control unit. 111 obtains from the userID information 122 a user ID that is associated with the acquired ICcard identifying information. The control. unit 111 then determineswhether the management server 11 is set to perform a user authenticatingprocess involving the AD server 13 (S52).

If it is determined in S52 that the setting is for performing a userauthenticating process using the AD server 13, the control unit 111accesses the AD server 13 and determines whether the obtained user IDexists in the user ID information retained in the AD server 13 (S53).

If there is the corresponding user ID in the AD server 13, the controlunit 111 successfully authenticates the user (S54). If the managementserver 11 is not set to perform a user authenticating process using theAD server 13 in S52, the control unit 111 determines that the user hasbeen successfully authenticated in S51 if the corresponding userinformation is retained in the user information storage device 120.

If the result of determination in S53 concerning the presence of theuser ID in the AD server 13 is “NO,” the control unit 111 determineswhether use of the image forming apparatus 17 should be allowed to theuser ID based on the use limit information 123 associated with therelevant user ID (S55). If use is allowed for the user ID, the controlunit 111 determines that the user is authenticated. If use is notallowed for the user ID, the control unit 111 determines that the loginprocess has been unsuccessful, and terminates the user authenticatingprocess (S56).

After successful authentication in S54, the control unit 111 in themanagement server 11 acquires use limit information associated with theauthenticated user from the user limit information 123 using the uselimit information acquiring unit 112. The control unit 111 thentransmits the acquired use limit information to the image formingapparatus 17 using the communications unit 114.

Upon reception of the use limit information, the control unit 171 in theimage forming apparatus 17 controls a process in the image formingapparatus 17 so that only a function allowed to the authenticated usercan be realized.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 , the aforementioned Personal Menuprocess performed in the image forming apparatus 17 is described. ThePersonal Menu in the present embodiment refers to a menu of functionsthat are only allowed to a user whose user ID and password areregistered in the image forming apparatus 17 in advance. The functionslisted in the Personal Menu include access to image data or electronicdocuments accumulated for each user in the image forming apparatus 17;viewing of such data; use of an individual user's address book; andviewing of individual user's mail documents. Upon selection of thePersonal Menu, an individual user can customize the settings for thedisplay unit of the display/operating device 172 or the image formingapparatus 17. A “Personal Menu process” refers to a process performed bythe image forming apparatus 17 upon selection of the Personal Menu.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of a Personal Menu process in the image formingapparatus 17 of the present embodiment. FIG. 7A shows a status of thedisplay/operating device 172 prior to login to the Personal Menu. FIG.7B shows a status of the display/operating device 172 after a login tothe Personal Menu.

With reference to FIG. 6 , as a user holds his IC card over the IC cardreader 174, the user authenticating process described with reference toFIG. 5 is initiated (S61). The image forming apparatus 17 is placed in astatus such that it cannot be operated from the display/operating device172 (to be hereafter referred to as a “hard key lock”) until after asuccessful user authentication.

If user authentication in S61 is successful and the user is one to whomuse of the image forming apparatus 17 is allowed, the control unit 171deactivates the hard key lock state (S62). The control unit 171, basedon the use limit information transmitted from the management server 11concerning the user, transitions the status of the image formingapparatus 17 to a status such that one or more functions allowed to theuser can be performed (S63).

If implementation of the Personal Menu process is selected by the user(S64), the control unit 171, as shown in FIG. 7A, causes the displayunit of the display/operating device 172 to indicate that Personal Menuhas been selected (S65). The “‘it’ function” indicated in FIGS. 6 and 7generally refers to functions in the image forming apparatus involvingtransmission and reception of information directly via a network. In thepresent embodiment, functions that can be realized by the Personal Menuprocess are included in the “‘it’ function.”

Then, the control unit 171 of the image forming apparatus 17 performs aprocess to log in to the Personal Menu (S66). A password is generated inS61 by the password generating unit 179 based on the user ID obtainedfrom the IC card identifying information. In the image forming apparatus17, a user ID is registered by the user beforehand and a passwordgenerated by the password generating unit 179 based on the user ID isretained in advance.

The control unit 171 determines whether the user ID and the passwordthat are retained in advance correspond to the user ID and the passwordobtained in S61 (S67).

If it is determined in S67 that no corresponding user ID is retained inthe image forming apparatus 17, the control unit 171, determining thatthe user is a new user who is not registered, causes a user registrationscreen to be displayed on the display/operating device 172 and movesonto a user registration process (S68).

If it is determined in S67 that the password .is not authentic, thecontrol unit 171 locks the hard keys other than an “On-Demand” key onthe display/operating device 172 (S69). The On-Demand key is one of theoperating portions disposed within the display/operating device 172; itis an operating key for entering a print instruction regarding a printjob that is already retained within the image forming apparatus 17.

A password may be found unauthentic in the image forming apparatus 17when the initial password necessary for login to the Personal Menu,which is generated by the password generating unit 179, is changed bythe user to a user-defined password. Thus, the control unit 171 causesthe display operating device 172 to display a touch panel screen or thelike via which a password can be entered, and indicates that entry of amodified password, if any, is necessary (S70). If the user enters acorrect password in S70, the control unit 171 releases the hard key lockstatus in accordance with the use limit information (S71). The routinethen returns to the process of determining whether the user IDregistered and retained in the image forming apparatus 17 in advance andthe modified password correspond to the user ID acquired in S61 and thepassword entered in S70, respectively.

If the result of the login process is an error in S67 for one reason oranother, the control unit 171 eliminates the message displayed on thedisplay/operating device 172 in S65 indicating the selection of thePersonal Menu (S72). The control unit 171 then causes thedisplay/operating device 172 to show a message indicating that the loginprocess to the Personal Menu has resulted in an error (S73).

Thereafter, the control unit 171, based on the use limit information,controls the image forming apparatus 17 so that one or more functionsallowed to the user without logging in to the Personal Menu can berealized.

If in S67 the user ID and password retained in the image formingapparatus 17 correspond to the user ID acquired in S61 and the passwordgenerated from that user ID, the control unit 171 determines that theuser has successfully logged in to the Personal Menu, and acquires theindividual information associated with the user ID from the individualinformation storing unit 178. Then, the control unit 171 limits thesetting conditions and the like concerning use of the image formingapparatus 17 based on the individual information (S74).

The control unit 171 then renders usable those operating keys on thedisplay/operating device 172 that are used during the activation of the“Personal Menu” function (S75), and eliminates the message indicatingthe selection of the Personal Menu that was displayed on thedisplay/operating device 172 in S65 (S76). The control unit 171 thendisplays a message on the display/operating device 172 indicating thatthe user is now allowed to view the information about the passwordgenerated by the password generating unit 179 (S77). Thus, the loginprocess to the Personal Menu on the image forming apparatus 17 iscompleted, whereby the Personal Menu for the individual user isdisplayed on the display/operating device 172, as shown in FIG. 7B.

In the present embodiment, a user name associated with a registered userID may be registered in the image forming apparatus 17, so that the username can be displayed on the screen immediately after login of the useris completed.

If in S64 the user does not select implementation of the Personal Menuprocess, the control unit 171 controls the image forming apparatus 17based on the use limit information acquired in S61 from the managementserver 11 (S78). In this way, the user can use the image formingapparatus 17.

The password information that the user can view on the display/operatingdevice 172 in S77 may include the initial password generated by thepassword generating unit 179 and information about a setting changeassociated with the changing of the initial password to a user-definedpassword. In the present embodiment, the screen of the display/operatingdevice 172 in S77 may transition to a setting screen for passwordchange; alternatively, if the user has already changed his password, thescreen may transition to a screen on which the user can be notified ofthe initial password again. Preferably, when notifying the user of hispassword, the password that is displayed on the display/operating device172 may be automatically erased after a predetermined duration of time.

Thus, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the useridentifying information is managed by the management server, and thefunctions of the image forming apparatus are limited based on the useridentifying information. Thus, security of the user information managedin the image forming apparatus can be ensured and its confidentialitycan be maintained.

Furthermore, since the functions of the image forming apparatus arelimited on an individual user basis, wasteful implementation of aprocess can be prevented and a high usability can be achieved. Because auser ID is acquired from a contactless IC card, there is no need for auser to enter his user ID for each login, thereby achieving a highoperability. A password is generated from the user ID by the passwordgenerating unit, so that the need to carry a password around iseliminated, thus preventing the leakage of a password in caseinformation about user identifying information should be leaked.

In the present embodiment, a change in the format of IC card identifyinginformation due to a change in the type of the IC card can beaccommodated.

In accordance with the present embodiment, processes performed in theimage forming apparatus are classified and recorded on a useridentifying information basis or by the type of process performed, sothat the processes performed in the image forming apparatus can beeasily monitored.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the overall status of the imageforming apparatus management system as a whole can be displayed to theuser, whereby the operation of the entire system or the status of eachconnected device can be easily monitored.

Embodiment 2

In the following, a second embodiment of the present invention isdescribed with reference to the drawings, in which functional componentssimilar to those of the first embodiment, of which the second embodimentis an improvement, are designated with similar numerals.

FIG. 8 shows a system configuration of an image forming apparatusmanagement system 10A according to the second embodiment. The imageforming apparatus management system 10A comprises a management server11A, an AD server 13A, a user terminal 15, a print server 16A, an imageforming apparatus (MFP) 17A, and a managing terminal 18 configured tocontrol the management server 11A. These devices are connected via anetwork.

In the following, each component device of the image forming apparatusmanagement system 10A is described.

FIG. 9 shows a functional configuration of the management server 11A.

The management server 11A may be realized by installing a managementserver program on a conventional computer having a processing unit and astorage unit. The individual portions of the management server 11A thatare described below indicate individual functions realized by such aprogram.

The management server 11A, in addition to the units of the managementserver 11 of the first embodiment, comprises a user informationmanagement unit 130, a print job deletion instructing unit 140, a printorder changing unit 150, and a user information update file acquiringunit 160.

The user information management unit 130 comprises a user informationregistration unit 132, a user information deleting unit 133, and a userinformation updating unit 134.

The user information registration unit 132 is configured to registeruser information in the user information storage unit 120. The userinformation deleting unit 133 is configured to delete user informationfrom the user information storage device 120. The user informationupdating unit 134 is configured to update the user information stored inthe user information storage device 120 based on user information updateinformation, as will be described below.

The print job deletion instructing unit 140 is configured to generate aprint job deletion instruction for deleting print jobs accumulated inthe print server 16A all at once. The print order change instructingunit 150 is configured to generate an execution order change instructionfor changing the order of execution of print jobs accumulated in theprint server 16A.

The user information update file acquiring unit 160 is configured toacquire an update file for updating the user information in the userinformation storage device 120. An update file may be generated byanother device connected to the management server 11A via a network. Inthis case, the management server 11A may acquire the update file bydownloading it. Alternatively, an update file may be generated by acomputer that is not connected to the management server 11A and thenrecorded in a conventional recording medium. In this case, themanagement server 11A may acquire the update file by reading therecording medium.

With reference to FIG. 10 , the AD server 13A of the present embodimentis described. FIG. 10 shows a functional configuration of the AD server13A.

The AD server 13A comprises an authentication information storing unit135 and an authenticating process unit 138. The authenticationinformation storing unit 135 stores user identifying information 136 anda password 137. The user identifying information 136 consists of a pairof IC card identifying information 121 and user ID information 122associated therewith. The password 137 is associated with the user IDinformation 122. The user identifying information 136 may be registeredby a system administrator in advance. The authenticating process unit138 is configured to authenticate a user by determining whether his useridentifying information stored in the authentication information storingunit 135 is valid.

With reference to FIG. 11 , the print server 16A of the presentembodiment is described. FIG. 11 shows a functional configuration of theprint server 16A.

The print server 16A, in addition to the portions of the print server 16of the first embodiment, comprises a print job deleting unit 164 and aprint order changing unit 165. The print job deleting unit 164 isconfigured to delete print jobs retained in the print command retainingunit 161 all at once in response to a print job deletion instructionfrom the management server 11A. The print order changing unit 165 isconfigured to change the order of execution of print jobs retained inthe print command retaining unit 161 in response to a print order changeinstruction from the management server 11A.

With reference to FIG. 12 , the image forming apparatus 17A of thepresent embodiment is described. FIG. 12 shows a functionalconfiguration of the image forming apparatus 17A.

The image forming apparatus 17A is configured to read informationrecorded in a region of an IC card. The image forming apparatus 17Acomprises a processing unit and a storage device. The functions of theindividual units of the image forming apparatus 17A described below arerealized by causing the processing unit to execute a program for theimage forming apparatus 17A.

The image forming apparatus 17A, in addition to the portions of theimage forming apparatus 17 of the first embodiment, comprises a regionsetting information acquiring unit 181, a region setting unit 182, and acard reader control unit 183.

In the present embodiment, the region setting information acquiring unit181, the region setting unit 182, the card reader control unit 163, andan information format converting unit 175 of the image forming apparatus17A constitute a plugin 180. The plugin 180 may be downloaded from adevice connected to the image forming apparatus 17A via a network.Alternatively, the plugin 180 may be recorded in a recording medium,such as a USB memory. The image forming apparatus 17A is preferablyfitted with a receptacle for a USB memory stick. Thus, in the imageforming apparatus 17A, the functions of the plugin 180 may be realizedby reading and activating the plugin 180 recorded in such a recordingmedium.

In the following, the components of the plugin 180 are described. Theregion setting information acquiring unit 181 is configured to acquireregion setting information, which is generated by the managing terminal18 as will be described below. The region setting unit 182 is configuredto make a region setting based on the region setting informationacquired by the region setting information acquiring unit 181.specifically, the region setting unit 182 stores the acquired regionsetting information in a region setting information storing unit 184 ofthe recording device 173.

The card reader control unit 183 is configured to control the reading ofinformation by the IC card reader 174. When reading the information fromthe IC card, the IC card reader 174 refers to the region settinginformation storing unit 184 so as to read information in a set region.

The information format converting unit 175 performs the same function asin the first embodiment. Namely, it converts the format of theinformation read from the IC card reader 174 into an information formatthat can be handled by the forming apparatus management system 10A ofthe present embodiment.

Thus, the image forming apparatus 17A can handle plural types of ICcards in which information is recorded by different standards. While theimage forming apparatus 17A has been described as acquiring the regionsetting information from the managing terminal 18, this is merely anexample. In another example, the region setting information may berecorded in a recording medium in the same way as for the plugin 180, sothat the region setting information acquiring unit 181 can acquire theregion setting information from the recording medium.

With reference to FIG. 13 , the managing terminal 18 of the presentembodiment is described. FIG. 13 shows a functional configuration of themanaging terminal 18.

The managing terminal 18 is realized by installing a managing terminalprogram on a conventional computer having a processing unit and astorage unit. The functions of the individual portions of the managingterminal 18 described below are realized by such a program.

The managing terminal 18 comprises a display device 190, a control unit191, a storage device 192, a region setting information generating unit193, and a communications unit 194.

The display device 190, which may comprise a liquid crystal display, isconfigured to display a result of a process in the managing terminal 18,for example. The control unit 191 controls various processes performedin the managing terminal 18. The storage device 192 stores results ofoperations performed by the processing unit, setting informationregarding the managing terminal 18, etc. The region setting informationgenerating unit 193 is configured to generate region settinginformation. A process performed by the region setting informationgenerating unit 193 is described with reference to the drawings below.The communications unit 194 is configured to perform communications withvarious devices connected to the managing terminal 18 via a network.

In the following, a process of generating region setting information inthe region information setting unit 193 is described with reference tothe drawings.

With reference to FIGS. 14A and 14B, an IC card A is described. FIG. 14Ashows an information recording format of the IC card A. FIG. 14B showsinformation recorded in the IC card A.

In the example shown in FIG. 14A, IC card identifying information isrecorded at the top. In block 1, an employee number is recorded. Inblock 2, the number of times of issuance of the IC card A is recorded.In block 3, the date of issuance of the IC card A is recorded. In block4, the expiration date of the IC card A is recorded.

The format of the IC card differs from one standard to another and isdetermined by the issuer of the IC card. Also, the format of theinformation recorded in the IC card may differ depending on the standardof the IC card. For example, in the case of a FeliCa (registeredtrademark) card, information is recorded in a FeliCa (registeredtrademark) format. In the case of an eLWISE (registered trademark of NTTCommunications, referring to a contactless IC chip card system) card,information is recorded in an eLWISE card format.

FIG. 14B shows the location of each information region on the IC card A.For example, block 1, i.e., a region in which the employee number isrecorded, begins at address 0 and ends at address 9.

In the managing terminal 18, region setting information is generatedwith reference to such format information about the IC card. A shown inFIGS. 14A and 14B. The format information about the IC card A may besupplied by the IC card issuer.

The region setting information generating unit 193 of the managingterminal 18 is a function realized by a region setting program. In themanaging terminal 18, as a user operating the managing terminal 18enters an instruction for generating region setting information, theregion setting program is activated.

The region setting program is configured to set a region of the IC cardA from which information is to be read. The region setting programcauses the display device 190 of the managing terminal 18 to display ascreen for setting the region from which information is to be read. FIG.15 shows an example of such setting screen, where the type of regionfrom which information is to be read can be set. In accordance with theregion setting program of the present embodiment, the types of regionfrom which information is to be read from the IC card A include, asshown in FIG. 15 , a card identifying information recorded region, anarbitrary region in the IC card A, and a region in accordance with astandard format.

Further, in accordance with the present embodiment, four region settinginformation patterns can be set for each type (i.e., type of standard)of IC card.

On the setting screen shown in FIG. 15 , if the IC card identifyinginformation is selected for the information reading region, the regionsetting program sets the top region of the IC card A as the informationreading region. The region in which the IC card identifying informationis recorded may be preset by a system administrator. In accordance withthe region setting program of the present embodiment, when the IC cardidentifying information is selected as the information reading region,the region in which the IC card identifying information is recorded isdetermined to be the information reading region, based on a setting madeby the system administrator.

If on the setting screen shown in FIG. 15 a region in accordance withstandard format is selected as the information reading region, theregion setting program sets the region in accordance with the standardformat as the information reading region. The standard format issupplied by the issuer of the IC card A to the system administrator inadvance and set in the managing terminal 18. Specifically, when thestandard format is followed, format information, such as informationindicating the region in which the IC card identifying information isrecorded, and information indicating a region in which an employeenumber is recorded, and so on, is stored in the managing terminal 18.Based on such format information stored in the managing terminal 18, theregion setting program sets an information reading region.

In the following, a case is described where an arbitrary region in theIC card A is selected on the setting screen of FIG. 15 as the type ofinformation reading region of the IC card A.

FIG. 16 shows a screen for generating region setting information forreading information recorded in the IC card A.

The region setting information generating screen includes a blockdesignating portion 190A for designating a block from which informationis to be read; a position designating portion 190B for designating aposition within a designated block; and an information list portion 190Cfor showing a list of information items to be read. In the example ofFIG. 16 , block 1 and block 3 on the IC card A are designated in theblock designating portion 190A. In the position designating portion190B, all of the data in block 1 and block 3 are designated. Therefore,in the present embodiment, region setting information is generated thatindicates that all of the data in blocks 1 and 3 on the IC card is to beacquired.

The information list portion 190C shows, as the information itemsacquired in accordance with the region setting information, an employeenumber which is the sole data recorded in block 1, and an expirationdate which is the sole data recorded in block 3. Thus, in accordancewith the region setting program of the present embodiment, blocks andthe position of information in the blocks can be designated whilemonitoring the information items to be read on the region settinginformation generating screen. Thus, region setting information can beeasily generated by, for example, a system administrator through asimple operation.

The region setting information generated by the managing terminal 18 issupplied to the image forming apparatus 17A via a network, for example.Alternatively, the region setting information may be recorded in arecording medium at the managing terminal 18, such as a USB memory. Theregion setting information recorded in such a recording medium is readand acquired by the image forming apparatus 17A. While the regionsetting program has been described as being installed on the managingterminal 18, this is merely an example; the region setting program maybe installed on the user terminal 15. Alternatively, the region settingprogram may be installed on a conventional computer that is notconnected to the image forming apparatus 17A, and generated regionsetting information may be recorded on a recording medium that issupplied to the image forming apparatus 17A.

In the following, an operation of the plugin 180 in the image formingapparatus 17A of the present embodiment is described. In the imageforming apparatus 17A, information based on region setting informationcan be read from the IC card by an operation of the plugin 180. FIG. 17shows a flowchart of an operation of the plugin 180 in the image formingapparatus 17A.

Upon being selected as an implemented plugin in step S170, the plugin180 starts a process. In the following, the selection of the plugin isdescribed.

Other than the plugin 180, the image forming apparatus 17A comprisesplural types of plugins for controlling the reading of information fromthe IC card. The system administrator can select one of such pluginsthat is implemented in the image forming apparatus 17A. The selection ofa plugin may be performed using an administrator tool for managing theimage forming apparatus management system 10A. The administrator toolmay be provided in the managing terminal 18 or in the image formingapparatus 17A.

Examples of the other plugins that the image forming apparatus 17A maycomprise include an SSFC plugin based on an SSFC (registered trademarkof Shared Security Formats Cooperation, an alliance of corporations forachieving a higher level of office security using IC cards) standard,and an eLWISE plugin based on an eLWISE card standard. For example, ifan SSFC (registered trademark) plugin is selected, the SSFC (registeredtrademark) plugin is implemented, whereby the image forming apparatus17A reads information from the IC card in accordance with the SSFC(registered trademark) standard format. The plugin 180 of the presentembodiment may comprise a FeliCa (registered trademark) plugin inaccordance with a FeliCa (registered trademark) standard.

FIG. 18 shows an example of a plugin selection screen. This selectionscreen may be displayed on a display device mounted on the managingterminal 18 by which the management server 11A is controlled, or on thedisplay/operating device 172 of the image forming apparatus 17A. Uponselection of the plugin 180 on the selection screen shown in FIG. 18 ,the image forming apparatus 17A of the present embodiment implements theplugin 180, taking the selection instruction as an implementationinstruction.

Following the implementation of the plugin 180 in the image formingapparatus 17A in step S170, the region setting information acquiringunit 181 acquires the region setting information in step S171. Theregion setting information may be acquired from the managing terminal 18via a network, or from a recording medium. Thereafter, in step S172, theregion setting unit 182 sets the acquired region setting information inthe image forming apparatus 17A. Specifically, the region setting unit182 stores the selected region setting information in the region settinginformation storing unit 184. This completes the setting of the regionsetting information in the image forming apparatus 17A.

In step S173, as the IC card A is held over the IC card reader 174, theIC card reader 174 reads the information recorded in the set region ofthe IC card A under the control of the card reader control unit 183. Thecard reader control unit 183, with reference to the region settinginformation stored in the region setting information storing unit 184,controls the reading of the information from the IC card reader 174. TheIC card reader 174 may be configured to acquire the IC card formatinformation when the IC card A as held over it.

In accordance with the region setting program of the present embodiment,four region setting information patterns can be generated for each typeof IC card. Thus, in the image forming apparatus 17A, plural patterns ofregion setting information may be acquired and set. If plural patternsof region setting information are set in the image forming apparatus17A, the card reader control unit 183 determines, successively from theinitially acquired region setting information, whether each regionsetting information pattern corresponds to the format of the IC card A.The card reader control unit 183 then controls the reading ofinformation by the IC card reader 174 based on the region settinginformation that has been determined as corresponding to the format ofthe IC card.

In step S174, the information read by the IC card reader 174 isconverted by the information format converting unit 175 into apredetermined information format. The “predetermined format” hereinrefers to the information format handled by the image forming apparatusmanagement system 10A; i.e., an information format that can be processedby the image forming apparatus 17A. For example, when the image formingapparatus 17A is adapted to information in the FeliCa (registeredtrademark) card format and if the information read by the IC card reader174 is in the eLWISE (registered trademark) card format, the informationformat converting unit 175 converts the format of the information readinto the FeliCa (registered trademark) card format. If the informationread by the IC card reader 174 is in a format that the image formingapparatus 17A can process, the information format converting unit 175does not need to perform the information format converting process.

In step S175, the image forming apparatus 17A transmits the acquiredinformation, whose format may have been converted by the informationformat converting unit 175, to the management server 11A. The managementserver 11A then performs a user login process based on the informationtransmitted from the image forming apparatus 17A.

Thus, in accordance with the image forming apparatus 17A of the presentembodiment, an information reading region is set in the IC card, and theinformation recorded in the thus set region can be read. Therefore, inthe image forming apparatus 17A, the information that is read from theIC card can be set in accordance with the environment in which the imageforming apparatus management system 10A is used. Furthermore, inaccordance with the image forming apparatus 17A, the format of theinformation that is read can be converted into a format that the imageforming apparatus 17A can process. Thus, the image forming apparatus 17Acan be adapted to plural types of IC card readers based on differentstandards. In this way, the image forming apparatus 17A can be made moreversatile.

In the following, a login process according to the present embodiment isdescribed. In accordance with the image forming apparatus managementsystem 10A, a user can log in by entering his user ID information andpassword, even if he does not carry his IC card with him.

FIG. 19 shows a flowchart of the login process.

On a standby screen displayed on the display/operating device 172 of theimage forming apparatus 17A prior to a login process, an instructionbutton 172A for instructing the display of a keyboard screen isprovided, as shown in FIG. 20A.

FIGS. 20A and 20B show an example of the display screen on the imageforming apparatus 17A of the second embodiment. FIG. 20A shows a standbyscreen displayed on the display/operating device 172. FIG. 20B shows akeyboard screen displayed on the display/operating device 172. As shownin FIG. 20A, a keyboard input indicating button 172A is provided on thestandby screen.

Upon entry of a keyboard input instruction via the keyboard inputindicating button 172A in step S191, the keyboard screen of FIG. 20B isdisplayed on the display/operating device 172 in step S192.

Then, in step S193, the image forming apparatus 17A acquires the user IDinformation and password entered via the keyboard screen. In step S194,the acquired user ID information and password are subjected to anauthenticating process in the AD server 13A. Specifically, the imageforming apparatus 17A transmits the acquired user ID information andpassword to the AD server 13A via the management server 11A. In the ADserver 13A, it is determined, using the information stored in theauthentication information storing unit 135 and with the authenticatingprocess unit 138, whether the acquired user ID information and passwordare valid. If the acquired user ID information and password aredetermined to be valid, the AD server 13A authenticates the user.

Following the successful authentication of the user in step S195, themanagement server 11A allows the user to log in in step S196, and thelogin process ends.

If the user is not authenticated in step S195, the routine proceeds tostep S197, where an authentication error message is displayed on thedisplay/operating device 172 of the image forming apparatus 17A. This isfollowed by step S198 where the image forming apparatus 17A acquireshistory information about the authentication error, and stores theinformation in the execution history information storing unit 177.Alternatively, the authentication error history information may bestored in the management server 11A.

Thus, in accordance with the image forming apparatus 17A of the presentembodiment, a login process can be performed even if the user does notcarry his IC card by entering his user ID information and password via akeyboard. Thus, in the present embodiment, a user can be allowed to usethe image forming apparatus 17A even if he does not carry his IC card,based on the user's use limit information and without having to have atemporary IC card or the like issued.

In the image forming apparatus management system 10A of the presentembodiment, up to four AD servers 13A can be installed. Thus, should oneof the AD servers 13A fail, another AD server 13A can back up. In thepresent embodiment, whether or not the instruction button 172A isdisplayed on the display/operating device 172 of the image formingapparatus 17A may be set by the system administrator in advance. In theimage forming apparatus management system 10A, if the setting is suchthat the instruction button 172A is displayed, the AD server 13Aauthenticates the user identifying information entered via the keyboardscreen.

In the following, management of user information in the managementserver 11A of the present embodiment is described.

In the management server 11A, user information stored in the userinformation storage device 120 can be registered, deleted, or updated.

FIG. 21 shows a flowchart illustrating the registration and deletion ofuser information in the management server 11A.

After the IC card reader 174 in the image forming apparatus 17A readsthe IC card identifying information 121, the management server 11Aacquires the IC card identifying information from the image formingapparatus 17A in step S211.

In step S212, the management server 11A, based on the acquired IC cardidentifying information 121 and the user information stored in the userinformation storage device 120, performs an authenticating process onthe acquired IC card identifying information 121. In S212, if theauthentication of the IC card identifying information 121 fails, themanagement server 11A transmits the IC card identifying information tothe AD server 13A. In step S213, the authenticating process unit 138 ofthe AD server 13A, based on the acquired IC card identifying informationand user identifying information 135, performs an authenticating processon the acquired IC card identifying information 121.

If the authentication of the IC card identifying information 121acquired by the AD server 13A in step S213 fails, the AD server 13Atransmits an authentication error message to the image forming apparatus17A via the management server 11A. In step S214, the authenticationerror message is displayed on the display/operating device 172 of theimage forming apparatus 17A.

If the IC card identifying information 121 acquired by the AD server 13Ais authenticated in step S213, the management server 11A receives amessage from the AD server 13A that the user has been authenticated. Inresponse to such message, the management server 11A allows the user tolog in in step S215.

In step S216, the management server 11A registers, using the userinformation registration unit 132, the user identifying information 136associated with the IC card identifying information 121 authenticated bythe AD server 13A, in the user information storing unit 120.

Specifically, the user information registration unit 132, in response tothe message that the IC card identifying information 121 has beenauthenticated by the AD server 13A, acquires from the AD server 13A theuser ID information 122 associated with the authenticated IC cardidentifying information 121. The user information registration unit 132then registers the IC card identifying information 121 and the user IDinformation 122 (i.e., the user identifying information 136) in the userinformation storage device 120, in association with use limitinformation. The use limit information with which the user identifyinginformation 136 is associated is stored in the user information storagedevice 120 in advance as an initial setting. In the present embodiment,if the use limit information is in an initial setting status, all of thefunctions of the image forming apparatus 17A can be used.

Thus, in the present embodiment, if the IC card identifying information121 is not authenticated in the management server 11A but isauthenticated in the AD server 13A, the user is considered to have beenauthenticated. The management server 11A then acquires from the ADserver 13A the user ID information 122 associated with the IC cardidentifying information 121, and registers it in the user informationstorage device 120 of the management server 11A in association with theuse limit information as an initial setting.

Thus, a system administrator, when registering information about a newuser of the image forming apparatus management system 10A, need onlyregister the user identifying information 136 in the AD server 13Aalone. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus management system 10A,there is no need to register the user identifying information in boththe AD server 13A and the management server 11A, so that the burden onthe system administrator can be reduced.

If the IC card identifying information 121 is authenticated by themanagement server 11A in step S212, the management server 11A transmitsthe user identifying information 136, which consists of the IC cardidentifying information 121 and the user ID information 122, to the ADserver 13A. In step S217, the AD server 13A performs an authenticatingprocess concerning the user identifying information 136. If the ADserver 13A authenticates the user identifying information 136, themanagement server 11A allows the user to log in in step S218.

If the AD server 13A does not authenticate the user identifyinginformation 136 in step S217, the management server 11A, considering theIC card identifying information 121 to be invalid, transmits anauthentication error message to the image forming apparatus 17A in stepS219. In step S220, the user information deleting unit 133 in the server11A deletes from the user information storage device 120 the IC cardidentifying information 121 that has not been authenticated by the ADserver 13A, the associated user ID information 122, and the use limitinformation.

Thus, in the present embodiment, any invalid user information stored inthe management server 11A can be automatically deleted.

Furthermore, in accordance with the present embodiment, an updatingprocess including the above-described registration and deletion of userinformation can be performed by the user information updating unit 134.

The process for registration or deletion of user information describedwith reference to FIG. 21 is performed only upon acquisition of the ICcard identifying information concerning a user who is subjected to theregistration or deletion process. In contrast, the user informationupdating unit 134 is configured to update the user information stored inthe user information storage device 120 periodically.

The management server 11A periodically acquires a prepared update filefor updating user information, using the update file acquiring unit 160.Upon acquisition, the user information updating unit 134 rewrites theuser information stored in the user information storage device 120 basedon the update file.

The update file is described below.

An update file mainly contains information about IC card identifyinginformation and user ID information. The information in the update filecorresponds to the user identifying information 136 stored in the ADserver 13A. The AD server 13A periodically writes out the useridentifying information 136 stored therein as a file in a predeterminedformat and supplies it to the management server 11A. The “predeterminedformat” refers to a format that can be processed by the managementserver 11A, such as the CSV file format.

The management server 11A acquires such an update file AD periodicallysupplied from the AD server 13A and updates the user information basedon the update file. In this way, the management server 11A can make theuser information in the user information storage device 120 correspondto the information in the AD server 13A. The updating of userinformation in the management server 11A includes updating the use limitinformation.

For example, if new user identifying information 136 has been added inan update file, the user information updating unit 134 stores theinitial-setting use limit information in the user information storagedevice 120 in association with the user identifying information 136. Ifthe user identifying information 136 has been deleted from the updatefile, the user information updating unit 134 deletes the use limitinformation associated with the deleted user identifying informationfrom the user information storage device 120.

Thus, in the management server 11A of the present embodiment, the userinformation can be updated periodically in accordance with the AD server13A. Thus, there is no need to perform a duplicate informationmanagement for the user identifying information 136 in the AD server 13Aand for the user information in the management server 11A. Thus, theburden on a system administrator in connection with informationmanagement can be reduced.

Furthermore, in the management server 11A of the present embodiment,print jobs stored in the print server 16A can be deleted all at once.

Specifically, in the management server 11A, the print job deletioninstructing unit 140 can generate a print job deletion instruction andtransmit it to the print server 16A. In response, the print server 16Acauses the print job deleting unit 164 to delete the print jobs storedin the print command retaining unit 161.

In the management server 11A, such a print job deletion instruction maybe generated periodically and transmitted to the print server 16A.Specifically, the print job deletion instructing unit 140 may generate aprint job deletion instruction at certain periods set by the systemadministrator and transmit the instruction to the print server 16A. Sucha print job deletion instruction may instruct deletion of print jobs allat once. In this case, the print server 16A deletes all of the printjobs retained in the print command retaining unit 161 each time theprint server 16A receives a print job deletion instruction.

In the management server 11A, a print job deletion instruction may begenerated that would delete print jobs accumulated in a predeterminedperiod set by the system administrator. For example, if a setting ismade by the system administrator to delete print jobs accumulated in aperiod of eight days between 10 days ago and two days ago, the print jobdeletion instructing unit 140 transmits a print job deletion instructionand the period information set by the system administrator to the printserver 16A. The print server 16A then deletes the print jobs accumulatedin the period designated by the period information.

The print job deletion instructing unit 140 may cause the display device113 of the management server 11A to display a setting screen promptingthe entry of a period information setting or a print job deletioninstruction. In this way, the system administrator may set a period andenter a print job deletion instruction on the setting screen.

Thus, in accordance with the present embodiment, accumulation of toomuch amount of data in the print server 16A can be prevented and so thecapacity of the print server 16A can be reduced.

Furthermore, in the management server 11A of the present embodiment, theorder of execution of print jobs stored in the print server 16A can bechanged by the print order change instructing unit 150.

For example, if the print server 16A is set to execute print jobs inreverse chronological order of their reception, the management server11A can cause the print order change instructing unit 150 to generate aninstruction to change the order to chronological order of reception ofthe print jobs. The thus generated print order change instruction istransmitted by the management server 11A to the print server 16A, whichthen changes the order of execution of the print jobs in accordance withthe print order change instruction.

The print order change instructing unit 150 may cause the display device113 of the management server 11A to display a setting screen promptingthe entry of a print order change setting. A system administrator canthen enter a print order on the setting screen and generate a printorder change instruction.

Thus, in accordance with the present embodiment, the order of executionof print jobs can be changed, so that print jobs can be executed by theprint server 16A in an appropriate order in accordance with theoperation of the image forming apparatus management system 10A.

Embodiment 3

With reference to FIG. 22 , a third embodiment of the present inventionis described. FIG. 22 shows a system configuration of an image formingapparatus management system 20 according to the third embodiment.Constituent elements of the image forming apparatus management system 20shown in FIG. 22 that have functions or structures similar to those ofthe first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are designated with similarnumerals, and their descriptions are omitted; thus, the followingdescriptions with reference to FIG. 22 are only concerned with portionsdifferent from the first embodiment.

In the image forming apparatus management system 20, the portion thatcorresponds to the image forming apparatus 17A of the second embodimentis composed of an image forming apparatus 17 a, an operating terminal 21for operating the image forming apparatus 17 a, and an IC card reader174 a connected externally of the operating terminal 21. FIG. 23 showsthe configuration of the image forming apparatus 17 a, the operatingterminal 21, and the IC card reader 174 a.

The image forming apparatus 17 a and the IC card reader 174 a areconnected to the operating terminal 21, which in turn is connected to anetwork of which the image forming apparatus management system 20 isformed. In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 17 a maybe serially connected to the operating terminal 21 via an RS232C cable.The IC card reader 174 a may be connected to the operating terminal 21via a USB terminal.

The image forming apparatus 17 a comprises a control unit 171 a, adisplay/operating device 172 a, a recording device 173 a, and acommunications unit 176 a. The control unit 171 a executes or controlsprocesses for realizing a print function, a scan function, a copierfunction, etc., that the image forming apparatus 17 a can provide. Thedisplay/operating device 172 a is configured to operate the imageforming apparatus 17 a; it may comprise a numeric keypad or an operatingpanel. The recording device 173 a has recorded setting values or thelike concerning the image forming apparatus 17 a. The communicationsunit 176 a is configured to perform communications with the operatingterminal 21.

The operating terminal 21, which may comprise a computer, includes acontrol unit 211, a communications unit 212, a recording device 213, adisplay unit 214, an operating unit 215, and a plugin 180. The controlunit 211 executes or controls processes for realizing the functions ofthe operating terminal 21. The communications unit 212 performscommunications with the image forming apparatus 17 a, IC card reader 174a, and various devices connected to the network. The plugin 180 isconfigured as described with reference to the second embodiment. Theoperating terminal 21 of the present embodiment may include the regionsetting information generating unit 193 that has been described withreference to the second embodiment. Specifically, a region settingprogram may be installed on the operating terminal 21.

The recording device 213 retains setting values of the operatingterminal 21; it may also temporarily retain operated values obtained asa result of processes performed by the control unit 211. The recordingdevice 213 also retains various other information in case the operatingterminal 21 becomes unable to communicate with the management server 11or the print server 16. Such information includes information concerningthe system setting of the image forming apparatus management system 20;user identifying information consisting of IC card identifyinginformation and user ID; use limit information associated with the useridentifying information; and information indicating a history of use ofthe image forming apparatus 17 a by each user. These items ofinformation are transmitted to the management server 11 periodically.

The display unit 214 is configured to display the result of a processperformed by the operating terminal 21 and the status of the imageforming apparatus 17 a. The display unit 214 may comprise a liquidcrystal display externally connected to the operating terminal 21. Theoperating unit 215 is configured to operate the operating terminal 215and may comprise a keyboard and mouse externally connected to theoperating terminal 21. The IC card reader 174 a provides the samefunction as that of the second embodiment.

In the following, a user authenticating process in the third embodimentis described. Initially, the IC card identifying information concerninga user is acquired by the IC card reader 174 a. Specifically, thecontrol unit 211 of the operating terminal 21 acquires the IC cardidentifying information via the IC card reader 174 a. The acquired ICcard identifying information is transmitted to the management server 11by the communications unit 212. The management server 11 obtains a userID as with the IC card identifying information, and acquires use limitinformation associated with the user ID.

The management server 11 then transmits the thus acquired use limitinformation to the operating terminal 21 using the communications unit114. The operating terminal 21 acquires the use limit information viathe communications unit 212, and controls the image forming apparatus 17a based on the use limit information.

Thus, in accordance with the third embodiment, the image formingapparatus 17 a is managed by the operating terminal 21 and themanagement server 11.

In the present embodiment, an application for realizing the functions ofthe plugin 180, the executed process history storing unit 177 asdescribed with reference to the first embodiment, the individualinformation storing unit 178, and the password generating unit 179 maybe recorded on a recording medium that can be read by the operatingterminal 21. In this case, the operating terminal 21 may include arecording medium reading unit (not shown) for reading such a recordingmedium to provide the aforementioned functions. In this case, theoperating terminal 21 may execute the process of any of theaforementioned functions that the image forming apparatus 17 a canprovide and thus control the image forming apparatus 17 a.

Embodiment 4

With reference to FIG. 24 , a fourth embodiment of the present inventionis described. FIG. 24 shows a system configuration of an image formingapparatus management system 30 according to the present embodiment.Constituent elements of the image forming apparatus management system 30shown in FIG. 24 that have functions or structures similar to those ofthe first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are designated with similarnumerals and their descriptions are omitted. Therefore, the followingdescriptions with reference to FIG. 24 are concerned only with portionsdifferent from the first embodiment.

In the image forming apparatus management system 30 of the fourthembodiment, the portion corresponding to the image forming apparatus 17of the first embodiment is composed of a laser printer 17 b as an imageforming apparatus, a control terminal 31 configured to control the laserprinter 17 b, a setting terminal 32 configured to make settings for thecontrol terminal 31, and an IC card reader 174 b connected externally ofthe control terminal. FIG. 25 shows a configuration of the laser printer17 b, the control terminal 31, the setting terminal 32, and the IC cardreader 174 b.

The laser printer 17 b is an image forming apparatus having a printerfunction. The control terminal 31 includes a control unit 311, acommunications unit 312, a display unit 313, a recording device 314, anda plugin 180. The control unit 311 is configured to control processesfor realizing the functions of the control terminal 31. Thecommunications unit 312 is configured to perform communications witheach of the devices of which the image forming apparatus managementsystem 30 is composed and with the laser printer 17 b. The display unit313 is configured to display the status of the image forming apparatusmanagement system 30 as a whole and the status of communications betweenthe control terminal 31 and each device. The plugin 180 is configured tooperate as described above with reference to the second embodiment. Thecontrol terminal 31 of the present embodiment may include the regionsetting information generating unit 193 described with reference to thesecond embodiment; namely, a region setting program may be installed onthe control terminal 31.

The display unit 313 comprises LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) of threecolors. The three colors of the LEDs are combined to display to a uservarious states of the image forming apparatus management system 30;communications statuses between the control terminal 31 and themanagement server 11 and the print server 16; and device statuses of themanagement server 11 and the print server 16. A method of display isdescribed in detail below.

In the recording device 314, setting values or the like of the controlterminal 31 are recorded. Further, in the recording device 314, variousother information are also stored in case the control terminal 31becomes unable to communicate with the management server 11 or the printserver 16. Such information includes information concerning the systemsetting of the image forming apparatus management system 30; useridentifying information consisting of IC card identifying informationand user ID; use limit information associated with the user identifyinginformation; and information indicating a history of use of the laserprinter 17 b by each user. Such information items are periodicallytransmitted to the management server 11.

The IC card reader 174 b, which has the same function as that of the ICcard reader 174 a of the second embodiment, may be connected to thecontrol terminal 31 via a USB cable. The setting terminal 32, which maycomprise a computer, is configured to make various settings in thecontrol terminal 31. The setting terminal 32 may be connected to thecontrol terminal 31 via a cross cable.

In the following, a user authenticating process in the presentembodiment is described. Initially, the IC card identifying informationin an IC card of a user is acquired by the IC card reader 174 b.Specifically, the control unit 311 of the control terminal 31 acquiresthe IC card identifying information using the IC card reader 174 b. Theacquired IC card identifying information is transmitted to themanagement server 11 by the communications unit 312. The managementserver 11 obtains a user ID associated with the IC card identifyinginformation, and acquires the use limit information associated with theuser ID.

The management server 11 then transmits the acquired use limitinformation to the control terminal 31 using the communications unit114. The control terminal 31 acquires the use limit information via thecommunications unit 312, and controls the laser printer 17 b based onthe use limit information.

For example, if an authenticated user is subject to a limitationconcerning use of the laser printer 17 b based on the use limitinformation, the control unit 311 places the operating keys provided onthe laser printer 17 b in a hard key lock state, thus rendering the keysunusable. If, on the other hand, an authenticated user is allowed to usethe laser printer lib based on the use limit information, the controlunit 311 releases the hard key lock state of the laser printer 17 b.Thus, the user can perform a print process using the operating keys onthe laser printer 17 b.

Thus, in the present embodiment, the control terminal 31 and themanagement server 11 limit and manage use of the laser printer 17 b asthe image forming apparatus. In this way, the present invention can beapplied to the management of laser printers, which are believed to bemore affordable by users than more expensive image forming apparatus,thus providing the effects of the present invention in laser printers.

In the following, a method of display performed by the display unit 313of the present embodiment is described with reference to FIGS. 26 and 27.

FIGS. 26A through 26M show various display methods for indicating thestatus of the image forming apparatus management system 30 on thedisplay unit 313. FIGS. 27A through 27D show various display methods forindicating the status of a second print server in a case where pluralprint servers 16 are connected in the fourth embodiment. Throughoutthese figures, passage of time is shown in the horizontal direction,where each small square represents one second.

The display unit 313 of the control terminal 31 includes LEDs of threecolors: green, red, and yellow. In the present embodiment, LED 1 isgreen, indicating the power supply status of the control terminal 31.LED 1 turns on when power supply to the control terminal 31 is ON. LED 2is red, mainly indicating the device status of the control terminal 31.LED 3 is yellow, mainly indicating the device status of the managementserver 11 and the print server 16, and the communications status betweenthe control terminal 31 and the management server 11 and the printserver 16. In the following, various methods of lighting LEDs 2 and 3are described with reference to FIGS. 26A through 26M.

FIG. 26A indicates abnormality in the state of communication of aservice within the control terminal 31 of the display unit 313. The“service” herein refers to a data transmission/reception in the controlterminal 31. If there is abnormality in the communication state of theservice within the control terminal 31, LED 2 on the display unit 313blinks once every five seconds. Specifically, LED 2 lights up one secondfollowed by a rest period of four seconds in which none of the LEDslight up, and then LED 2 blinks again. In this way, the display unit 313notifies the user of communication abnormality regarding a servicewithin the control terminal 31.

FIG. 26B indicates a disc capacity alert on the display unit 313concerning a local disc in the control terminal 31. If the remainingcapacity of the disc in the control terminal 31 drops below apredetermined value, LED 2 blinks twice at one-second intervals,followed by four seconds of a rest period, and then LED 2 blinks twiceat a one second interval again. In this way, the display unit 313notifies the user of a disc capacity alert concerning a local disc inthe control terminal 31.

FIG. 26C indicates device abnormality in the IC card reader 174 b. Inthis case, LED 2 blinks three times at one second intervals, followed byfour seconds of a rest period, and then blinking again at one secondintervals. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of deviceabnormality in the IC card reader 174 b.

FIG. 26D indicates abnormality in the device status of the controlterminal 31. The abnormality in the device status of the controlterminal 31 includes a failure in the control terminal 31 such that datacommunication cannot be performed. In this case, LED 3 blinks once everyfive seconds. Specifically, LED 3 lights up one second, followed by fourseconds of a rest period in which none of the LEDs light up. In thisway, the display unit 313 notifies the user of abnormality in the devicestatus of the control terminal 31.

FIG. 26E indicates abnormality in the state of communication with theprint server 16. In this case, LED 3 blinks twice with a one secondinterval, followed by a rest period of four seconds, then returning tothe blinking with a one second interval. In this way, the display unit313 notifies the user of abnormality in the communication status betweenthe print server 16 and the control terminal 31.

FIG. 26F indicates abnormality in the status of communication with themanagement server 11. In this case, LED 3 blinks three times every onesecond, followed by a rest period of four seconds, then returning to theblinking every one second. In this way, the display unit 313 notifiesthe user of abnormality in the communication status between themanagement server 11 and the control terminal 31.

FIG. 26G indicates an internal error in the control terminal 31. The“internal error” indicates that, for example, a process to be performedin the control terminal 31 could not be executed for one reason oranother. In this case, LED 2 and LED 3 repeat blinking every one secondat the same timing. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the userof an internal error abnormality in the control terminal 31.

FIG. 26H indicates abnormality in the communication status of a servicewithin the print server 16. In this case, LED 3 blinks four times everyone second, followed by a rest period of four seconds, then returning tothe blinking every one second. In this way, the display unit 313notifies the user of abnormality in the communication status of aservice in the print server 16.

FIG. 26I indicates a disc capacity alert concerning the print server 16.Specifically, when the remaining disc capacity in the print server 16drops below a predetermined value, LED 3 blinks five times at one secondintervals, followed by a rest period of four seconds, before returningto the blinking at one second intervals. In this way, the display unit313 notifies the user of a disc capacity alert concerning the printserver 16.

FIG. 26J indicates a database capacity alert concerning the print server16. The database in the print server 16 herein refers to, e.g., a datastorage region in the print server 16 where various data are stored. Ifthe remaining capacity of such database in the print server 16 dropsbelow a predetermined value, LED 3 blinks six times every one second,followed by a rest period of four seconds, before returning to theblinking every one second. In this way, the display unit 313 notifiesthe user of a database capacity alert concerning the print server 16.

FIG. 26K indicates abnormality in the communication status of a servicewithin the management server 11. In this case, LED 3 blinks seven timesevery one second, followed by a rest period of four seconds, beforereturning to the blinking at one second intervals. In this way, thedisplay unit 313 notifies the user of abnormality in the communicationstatus of service in the management server 11.

FIG. 26L indicates a disc capacity alert in the management server 11. Ifthe remaining disc capacity in the management server 11 drops below apredetermined value, LED 3 blinks eight times every one second, followedby a rest period of four seconds, before returning to the blinking atone second intervals. In this way, the display unit 313 notifies theuser of a disc capacity alert concerning the management server 11.

FIG. 26M indicates a database capacity alert concerning the managementserver 11. The database in the management server 11 herein refers to,e.g., a data storage region in the management server 11 where variousdata are stored. If the remaining capacity of such database in themanagement server 11 drops below a predetermined value, LED 3 blinksnine times every one second, followed by a rest period of four seconds,before returning to the blinking at one second intervals. In this way,the display unit 313 notifies the user of a database capacity alertconcerning the management server 11.

Thus, the display unit 313 of the control terminal 31 is configured todisplay to the user the device status of the control terminal 31, themanagement server 11, and the print server 16, and the communicationstatus between the control terminal 31 and the management server 11 andthe print server 16.

Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus management system 30 of thepresent embodiment, plural print servers 16 can be provided. A method ofdisplaying information about a second print server (not shown) in thiscase is described with reference to FIG. 27 . In FIG. 27 , theexclamation mark “!” indicates a quick blinking where the on-time of anLED is less than one second. For example, “●!●” indicates that the LEDblinks twice, each time lighting up for less than one second.

FIG. 27A indicates abnormality in the communication status between thesecond print server and the control terminal 31. In this case, LED 3blinks twice with a one second interval, followed by a period of fourseconds in which it blinks twice, each time lighting up for less thanone second, before returning to the blinking at the one second interval.In this way, the display unit 313 notifies the user of abnormality inthe status of communication with the second print server.

FIG. 27B indicates abnormality in the communication status of a servicewithin the second print server. In this case, LED 3 blinks four times atone second intervals, followed by a period of four seconds in which itblinks twice, each time lighting up for less than one second. Then, LED3 returns to the blinking at one second intervals. In this way, thedisplay unit 313 notifies the user of abnormality in the communicationstatus of a service in the second print server.

FIG. 27C indicates a disc capacity alert concerning the second printserver. If the remaining disc capacity in the second print server dropsbelow a predetermined value, LED 3 blinks five times at one secondintervals, followed by a period of four seconds in which it blinkstwice, each time lighting up for less than one second. Then, LED 3returns to the blinking at one second intervals. In this way, thedisplay unit 313 notifies the user of a disc capacity alert concerningthe second print server.

FIG. 27D indicates a database capacity alert concerning a database inthe second print server. The database in the second print server refersto, e.g., a data storage region in the print server in which variousdata are stored. If the remaining disc capacity in the second printserver drops below a predetermined value, LED 3 blinks six times at onesecond intervals, followed by a period of four seconds in which itblinks twice, each time lighting up for less than one second. LED 3 thenreturns to the blinking at one second intervals. In this way, thedisplay unit 313 notifies the user of a database capacity alertconcerning the second print server.

Thus, in accordance with the present embodiment, even if plural printservers are connected, the control terminal 31 can cause the displayunit 313 to display to the user information about the device status ofany of the plural print servers or its communication status with thecontrol terminal 31.

Furthermore, a sequence of steps for realizing each of the functions ofthe management server 11, 11A according to any of the foregoingembodiments can be recorded in a recording medium in the form of acomputer-readable image forming apparatus managing program.

With reference to FIG. 28 , a recording medium is described in whichmedium a program for realizing each function of the management server11, 11A of any of the foregoing embodiments is recorded. The program maybe read by the computer 500 and executed to realize each of thefunctions of the embodiments.

The computer 500 may comprise a CPU 510, a hard disk 520, a memory 530,a display unit 540, an input unit 550, a communications unit 560, and arecording medium reading unit 570. The CPU 510 is a processing unitconfigured to execute operations and processes in the computer 500. Thehard disk 520 is a data storage unit in which applications run on thecomputer 500 or data generated by such applications are stored. In thememory 530, various setting values concerning the computer 500 andresults of operations in the CPU 510 are saved.

The display unit 540 may comprise a display configured to display datagenerated in the computer 500 to a user. The input unit 550 may comprisea keyboard and mouse for entering various data by a user operation. Thecommunications unit 560 may comprise a network control unit configuredto perform communications between the computer 500 and an externaldevice. The recording medium reading unit 570 is configured to read dataor programs recorded on various recording media; it may comprise aflexible disk driver.

In the recording medium 410, an image forming apparatus managing program400 for realizing the functions of the present embodiment is recorded.The image forming apparatus managing program 400 is read by therecording medium reading unit 570 and then executed by the CPU 510. Therecording medium 410 may comprise any medium that can be read by thecomputer 500, such as a flexible disk or a CD-ROM (Compact Disk ReadOnly Memory). Alternatively, the image forming apparatus managingprogram 400 may be received by the communications unit 560 via a networkand then stored in the hard disk 520.

Furthermore, a sequence of steps for realizing each of the functions ofthe image forming apparatus 17, 17A, 17 a according to any of theforegoing embodiments may be recorded in a recording medium in the formof a computer-readable image forming program.

With reference to FIG. 29 , such a recording medium is described. Theprogram recorded in the medium can be read by the image formingapparatus 600 and then executed to realize the functions that have beendescribed with reference to the present embodiment.

For example, an image forming apparatus 600 comprises a CPU 610, a harddisk 620, a memory 630, display operating unit 640, a scanner unit 650,a communications unit 660, a recording medium reading unit 670, and aplotter unit 680. The CPU 610 is a processing unit for executingoperations and processes in the image forming apparatus 600. The harddisk 620 is a storage unit in which applications run on the imageforming apparatus 600 and data generated by such applications arestored. In the memory 630, various setting values of the image formingapparatus 600 and the results of operations executed by the CPU 610 aresaved.

The display operating unit 640 may comprise an operating panel having adisplay unit configured to display information regarding the operationof the image forming apparatus 600, its device status, and the progressof a process. The scanner unit 650, which may comprise a scanner and ascanner engine, is configured to scan a paper document into image data.The communications unit 660 may comprise a network control unitconfigured to allow the image forming apparatus 600 to communicate withan external device. The recording medium reading unit 670 is configuredto read various data or programs recorded in various recording media; itmay comprise a flexible disk driver. The plotter unit 680 comprises aplotter and a plotter engine and is configured to print image data.

In the recording medium 710, an image forming program 700 for realizingthe functions of the present embodiment is recorded. The image formingprogram 700 is read by the recording medium reading unit 670 and thenexecuted by the CPU 610. The recording medium 710 may comprise anymedium as long as it is readable by the image forming apparatus 600;examples are a flexible disk and a CD-ROM (Compact. Disk Read OnlyMemory). Alternatively, the image forming program 700 may be received bythe communications unit 660 via a network and then stored in the harddisk 620.

While the invention has been described with reference to specificembodiments, these embodiments are to be understood as illustrative anddo not limit the claim scope. Many variations, modifications, additionsand improvements of the described embodiments are possible.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus, comprising: circuitry configured to receive a setting indicating whether or not logging in to the apparatus by inputting of user information via an input screen is allowed; display a first screen when the setting indicates that the logging in is allowed by the inputting of the user information via the input screen, the first screen for logging in, by a user, to the apparatus using a recording medium and using the user information via the input screen; display a second screen when the setting indicates that the logging in is not allowed by the inputting of the user information via the input screen, the second screen indicating that the user may log in to the apparatus using the recording medium, the second screen not permitting the user to log in by the inputting the user information via the input screen; display the input screen, after receiving an instruction from the user while the first screen is displayed; receive the user information input via the input screen; receive recording medium identifying information read from the recording medium for logging in to the apparatus, while either the first screen or the second screen is displayed; and logging in to the apparatus when the recording medium identification information or the received user information is authenticated. 